Trafficked children are still at risk, report shows

Some children who were trafficked into and within the country may still be in vulnerable situations due to a lack of follow-up monitoring, according to a new report.

The report, carried out by researchers at University College Cork for the Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA), said there is a “lack of clarity” between the Separated Children Seeking Asylum (SCSA) team in Dublin and social workers in HSE local offices around the country.

The HSE admitted that there was “initial reluctance” from some social work teams to accept transferred cases. This is due to a lack of training, preparation and services in the locality.